Exercise 1.

5
Calculate the acceleration due to gravity at each of the following
locations, as well as the weight of a 90.00 kg person.

r
Location Altitude g (ms-2) Weight of 90.00 kg
(m) person (N)

Mt Kilimanjaro 5889

Mt Fuji 3778

Mt Etna 3279

Mt Rushmore 1841

Exercise 1.6
Calculate the acceleration due to gravity on the various moons of Jupiter
listed below, as well as the weight of a 120.0 kg fully-equipped
astronaut.

r
Moon Mass (kg) Radius g on Weight of 120.0 kg
(km) surface person (N)
(ms-2)

Io 8.9 1022 1815

Europa 4.8 1022 1569

Ganymede 1.5 1023 2634

Callisto 1.1 1023 2400

Part 1: Earths gravitational field 31

 Exercise 1.7
a) Draw the gravitational field around the Earth.

b) A rule of field drawing says that stronger fields are shown by

drawing lines closer together. Draw the field around a planet twice
as massive as the Earth.

Exercise 1.8
a) Calculate the gravitational potential energy of a 1.00 kg rock on the
surface of the Earth. Required data can be found in this part.
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32 Space
 b) Calculate the gravitational potential energy of the same rock placed
at the surface of Jupiter.
Mass of Jupiter = 1.90 1027 kg and radius = 71 493 km at the
equator.
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a) At what altitude above Jupiters surface should the rock be placed so
that its Ep is equal to the Ep it had at the surface of the Earth?
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Exercise 1.9
Calculate the gravitational potential energy of Europa and Io, two moons
within Jupiters gravitational field. Using the data given in Exercise 1.6.
Additionally, note that the radius of Europas orbit is 671 000 km and the
radius of Ios orbit is 422 000 km.
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Exercise 1.10
a) Write down the definition we are using for change in Ep.
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Part 1: Earths gravitational field 33

 b) Explain the significance of a distance very far away in the
definition in (a).
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c) Outline the reasons why Ep has a negative value?
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Exercise 1.11
Explain why when there is a change in gravitational energy for an object
in either moving toward or away from the centre of the Earth there is
work done on the object.
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34 Space